Russia at final stage of testing high-altitude interceptor for S-500 air defense system

The S-500 is designed to replace its predecessor S-400

ZHUKOVSKY (Moscow Region), July 20. /TASS/. Russia’s Almaz-Antey defense manufacturer is completing the trials of a high-altitude missile interceptor for the most advanced S-500 air defense system, Almaz-Antey Deputy CEO for Foreign Economic Activity Vyacheslav Dzirkaln said at the MAKS-2017 international airshow on Thursday.

According to the deputy chief executive, "some elements of the new S-500 antiaircraft missile system have now successfully passed the basic part of trials."

"Trials are coming to a close for the surface-to-air anti-missile designed to intercept targets in the upper layers of the atmosphere," Dzirkaln told journalists.

The work is generally proceeding according to the schedule approved by the Russian Defense Ministry and the delivery of the S-500 air defense missile system to the troops is scheduled for 2020, he noted.

Trials for new missiles

Almaz-Antey will shortly complete the trials of three new missiles for the S-350 Vityaz medium-range air defense system with active homing heads:

"In 2017, the system’s state trials are coming to a close. Now the company’s specialists are accumulating statistics for combat launches with the interception of real targets in various conditions. We are also shortly completing the state trials of three new surface-to-air missiles with active homing heads for the S-350 Vityaz systems and seaborne air defense complexes," the deputy chief executive said.

The naval Poliment-Redut air defense missile system also has three types of missiles of short, medium and intermediate range and they are unified with the S-350 air defense missile complex, he noted.

"These are new-generation missiles with very high maneuverable characteristics to strike the entire range of attack weapons," he added.

The full set of the Poliment-Redut system has been deployed on the Navy’s lead frigate Admiral Gorshkov while some elements of this complex - launchers, radars and control systems - are mounted on several corvettes, he said.

The S-350 Vityaz is a medium-range surface-to-air missile system designed for battlefield air defense. Almaz-Antey Chief Designer Pavel Sozinov earlier said that the system’s trials were scheduled to be completed this year.

The S-500 is designed to replace its predecessor S-400. The new system is being developed with a perspective of its operation in the next 25 years.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier that the delivery of the S-500 air defense missile system to the troops would begin in 2020.